Gosling sat down, and in the fever of the moment wiped his forehead with his snuff handkerchief, then discovered his mistake and laid the handkerchief carelessly on the desk. This infringement of his invariable practice produced even more effect upon Flack than the staring eyes and wavering fingers. Gosling might be guilty of mild histrionics, but not of such a touch as this. The utter neglect of decency exhibited by the display of that shameful bandanna could only portend calamity. "Lord's sakes, man, what's the matter?" asked Flack, still taking an observation under his spectacles. "It's come, Flack," said Gosling feebly. "It's in Scotland. Our Mr Stewart died of it in Dundee this mornin'." Flack rose from his seat and grabbed the telegram, which was brief and pregnant. "Stewart died suddenly five a.m. Feared plague. Macfie." "Tchah!" said Flack, still staring at the telegram. "'Feared plague.' Lost their 'eads, that's what they've done. Pull yourself together, man. I don't believe a word of it." Gosling swallowed elaborately, discovered his bandanna on the desk and hastily pocketed it. "Might 'a been 'eart-disease, d'you think?" he said eagerly. "We-el," remarked Flack, "I never 'eard as 'is 'eart was affected, did you?" Gosling held out his hand for the telegram, and made a further elaborate study of it, without, however, discovering any hitherto unsuspected evidence relating to the unsoundness of Stewart's heart. "It says 'feared,' of course," he remarked at last. "Macfie wouldn't have said feared if 'e'd been sure." "They'd 'ardly have mentioned plague in a telegram if they 'adn't been pretty certain, though," argued Flack. Gosling was so upset that he had to go out and get a nip of brandy, a thing he had not done since the morning after Blanche was born. The partners looked grave when they heard the news from Dundee, and London generally looked very grave indeed, when they read the full details an hour later in the Evening Chronicle. Stewart, it appeared, had come straight through from Berlin to London via Flushing and Port Victoria, and on landing in England he had managed to escape quarantine. His was not an isolated case. For some weeks it had been possible for British subjects to get past the officials. There was nothing in the regulations to allow such an evasion of the order, but it could be managed occasionally. Stewart had been told to spare no expense.